F1 Red Bull news: Ralf Schumacher insists radical change prompted by development doubts

Max Verstappen after the race in Monza — Photo: © IMAGO

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Schumacher insists radical Red Bull change prompted by development doubts

Ralf Schumacher analyses Red Bull's 2024 car

Jay Winter

Saturday 21 September 2024 14:12

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Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher has revealed that Red Bull's decision to adopt a radical new design concept for their 2024 car, the RB20, stems from concerns that the dominant RB19 had reached its developmental ceiling.

Despite the RB19's near-perfect record, Schumacher believes the team feared that its potential limitations could threaten future competitiveness.

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Red Bull's RB19 has cemented itself as one of the most successful cars in F1 history, winning an astonishing 21 out of the 22 races it competed in—an unparalleled 95.45% win rate, surpassing the legendary McLaren MP4/4’s 93.8% win ratio from the 1988 season.

The RB19 also led 86.7% of all laps in the 2023 season, second only to the MP4/4’s 97.3% record. Yet, despite these staggering achievements, Red Bull chose to take a new direction for 2024.

Verstappen in the RB19 in front of his home crowd in Zandvoort

F1 winner Ralf Schumacher with 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg

Red Bull 2024 car: RB20

Speaking to Sky Germany after the Italian Grand Prix, Schumacher hinted that Red Bull's decision to overhaul their design for the RB20 wasn’t driven by complacency, but rather by the realisation that the RB19 had its limitations.

"Well, I don't know what’s going on within the team," Schumacher stated.

"Of course, they have now come up with a completely new car because they have noticed that maybe the potential of the old car was not enough."

Red Bull's RB20 hit the ground running with their star driver Max Verstappen winning five of the first seven races of the season.

Verstappen has Norris on his tail in the title fight

However, issues with new upgrades have plagued the Austrian team. The car is now unbalanced and unpredictable, leading to Verstappen struggling to extract the maximum performance.

With F1 heading into the business end of the season, Red Bull currently have the lead in the drivers' championship but not the constructors' title after Oscar Piastri's victory in Azerbaijan took the Papaya team top of the standings for the first time in 10 years.

Meanwhile, in the drivers' title fight, Lando Norris will need to close a 59-point gap in just seven races to claim world championship glory.